Never Shone So Bright
by KayTeeBeth
Summary: Celestia and Luna and their childhood and their adulthood and their relationship. Where did things go wrong? How was Nightmare Moon the result of such a wonderful friendship between two sisters? Only Celestia really knows...
1. Prologue

**Au****thor's Note: **Hello ponyfolk! So I'll be honest. It's definitely been a while since I've written fanfic, and this is my first time trying my hand at some MLP stuff. So I'll start off with a Celestia/Luna focused story and go from there. This one may not read that smoothly, and perhaps more like a series of vignettes, but they are all related thematically, so I'm going to stick them all under this story.

**Disclaimer**: I don`t own My Litle Pony. I don`t even own a horse.

**Never Shone so Bright**  
><em>Prologue<em>_  
><em>

_Long, long ago, the land of Equestria was a peaceful, self-sustaining place. The land was able to thrive without pony intervention. All the ponies frolicked and lived happily. The Earth Ponies had their settlements, the Pegasi had their homes in the clouds, and the Unicorns preferred secluded settlements where they could practice their magic in peace. Rumour had it that some ponies didn't know that the other varieties even existed. And yet, their ignorance was bliss. The ponies lived amongst only those of their kind, and they were happy._

_Unbeknownst to the ponies, there lay a malignant spirit beneath the joyous illusion the ponies lived under. While they frolicked under the sun this spirit, known only as Acerbitus, watched them. He hated them. The ponies were always happy and that made him angry. Acerbitus could only survive off of hate and anger. When the ponies were happy, he starved._

_So he hatched a plan. Acerbitus lived to breed bitterness amongst the ponies, and what better way than to create a feud between the different types of ponies. Each variation had its own unique talents that made it special, but Acerbitus knew that the ponies would fight over whose was the best._

_The Pegasi lived in the clouds. They were the only variation of pony that could walk on the cloud, and because they were the only ones with wings, they figured they were the only ones that would need to. Some Pegasus cloud cities were built right above settlements of Earth Ponies or Unicorns, but they never even knew it. They were high enough in the clouds that the ponies below couldn't see them, and they never felt the need to look down and see the settlement right below them. Arrangements such as this were perfect for Acerbitus' plan._

_One day, he snuck up on an unsuspecting Pegasus filly. She was not a very good flyer yet, so falling out of the clouds would bring her right to the ground, unable to get back up on her own. Acerbitus stole the cloud out from right under her and she found herself in a free fall. Fortunately, she was a strong enough flyer to stop herself from crash-landing, but the clouds were a long way off and she seemed to be grounded._

_After getting used to having her hooves on the ground, this young filly found herself in a strange new world she never knew about. She was in a settlement of Earth Ponies, a variety she never even knew existed. The displaced filly roamed about this new land until one of the strange ponies started talking to her._

"_Excuse me?" came the voice of a stallion. "Are you lost, little filly? Where did you come from?"_

_In response, she looked up to the sky and said "I live in the clouds." She spread her wings and flapped them a couple times to bring herself a few feet off the ground before drifting back down. "I'm a Pegasus Pony, but I don't think I can get back home."_

_The stallion did not know what to do. He had never seen one of these Pegasus Ponies before, and he wouldn't have believed she came from the clouds if it wasn't for the wings. _

_Meanwhile, the filly's parents wondered where their little darling could have gotten off to. It wasn't like their little girl to just disappear like that, and she was still learning how to use her wings properly, so she couldn't have gotten far. Their town wasn't very large, and somepony would have seen her. This led them to the conclusion that they had been dreading- the ground._

_None of them had ever been to the ground before. The filly's parents did not want to go to the ground, but if their daughter was there, it appeared that they had no other choice than to go and retrieve her. Reluctantly, the Pegasus couple flew to the edge of their city and took off, headed for the ground. They had no idea what they would find down below, but they were about to find out._

_Meanwhile, the grounded filly was making new Earth Pony friends. She enjoyed their company, and didn't let little differences get in the way of a new friendship. Her parents didn't see it the same way. When they finally found their daughter, they accused the Earth Ponies of kidnapping an innocent and unsuspecting filly. She had wings, she could fly back up anytime she wanted, they reasoned, and accused the Earth Ponies of interfering where they had no business. The Earth Ponies took offence to this unjust accusation, and a giant argument broke out in the town square. Of course, this meant war._

_A little ways off in the distance, a unicorn settlement sat atop a hill. They knew of this existence of the Earth Ponies and kept track of other settlements, both Earth Pony and Unicorn. However, they had never seen a commotion quite like the one that came from the village in the valley. A few unicorns made their way down to the town to see what all the fuss was about. It was then that the discovered the Pegasi._

_The unicorns fancied themselves a logical bunch, and they liked to keep track of things. Pegasi threw off all their data. While it was a monumental find, this meant a lot of work for the unicorns. They contacted other unicorn villages about this revelation, and told them to spread it around. _

_The war was beginning to escalate and other Pegasi and Earth Ponies began to join the fight. Now the Unicorns were getting involved, attempting to be peacemakers and bringing in magical warfare. Negative energy was building up all throughout Equestria and Acerbitus grew stronger. Finally, when he had fed on enough negative energy, the being was able to take control of the sun and the moon. Where they had once worked together in harmony, they were now under complete control of a malicious spirit. Acerbitus made himself known to all ponies as their new master. He controlled the days, and they would have to bend to his every will. _

_Equestria lived in misery under his rule. Nopony was strong enough to stop him, and he was in power because of the ponies' relentless bickering. _

_However, there was hope in the form of a Unicorn colt. He had yet to discover his cutie mark, but he seemed to have some strong magic in him. Perhaps this was his calling... He had realized that the being came into control when all of the ponies met and engaged in a war. Perhaps the way to defeat this evil spirit was to work together and feed him as much positive energy as they could. _

_In legends, there existed the Elements of Harmony. Nopony knew what they were or how to use them, but the Unicorn colt was convinced that they could, in some way, vanquish their dark foe. He read every book he could find that could even remotely relate to these elements. Very little information was to be found, but the supposed that he had happened upon enough to aid him in his task. He thought he had figured out what most of them were, but there was a sixth element that he simply could not determine. What he had would have to do, and that, combined with his Unicorn magic, would save Equestria._

_Using the five Elements of Harmony, the colt defeated Acerbitus and once again freed their land. Equestria would never be the same, however, since the sun and the moon no matter worked on their own in harmony. The colt had to raise the sun and the moon himself from them on._

_It was a small price to pay for the freedom of Equestria, and he was very willing to pay it for his pony subjects. He had even earned his cutie mark in the process. The colt grew into a strong stallion and was a benevolent ruler for all of Equestria. He convinced his subjects, all Earth Ponies, Pegasi and Unicorns to co-exist. If they all lived together peacefully, then Acerbitus would have no negative energy to feed on. So all of the ponies lived happily together in harmony, and Equestria became the happy place it is today._

_The End._

Luna's eyelids were getting heavy and Celestia knew that the story had done the trick. She told it a little differently every time, but it always seemed to put her sister right to sleep. "Goodnight, little sis," she said.

"Wait," Luna replied. "Don't go yet."

Celestia stayed put at the edge of her sister's bed. "OK. You know, legend has it that that young colt lived for thousands of years, and he's even still alive today!"

"Is that story about daddy?" Luna asked.

Their father was King Kosmus, the current ruler of Equestria. He raised the sun and his wife, Lumia, took the moon and the stars. They cared deeply for their girls, but they didn't speak too much about their jobs. Celestia didn't actually know the answer to Luna's question because her father would never say. She knew the legends and the myths and nothing more. And yet she was reluctant to tell this to her sister. Luna looked up to her and expected her to answer all of her questions, and she didn't want to let her sister know that maybe she wasn't the all-knowing being her sister thought she was.

"Luna, this legend is thousands of years old. It's nothing more than a silly tale told to try and explain why Equestria only works with pony intervention."

"Oh." Luna paused, not quite convinced. "So that means that... Acerbitus... He's not real is he? There's no evil spirit that lives in Equestria, waiting to strike the moment ponies stop getting along?"

Celestia sighed. She always left out the part of the legend that said Acerbitus couldn't be completely vanquished without that sixth element. There was still some ponies who said that he was ever-present, waiting for the moment that the ponies stop getting along. Ponies were convinced that one day he would strike and bring about misery once more. Some parents told their children that to frighten them into getting along with their siblings, but Celestia could never do that to her sister. "No Luna, that's just an old mare's tale. Now get some sleep, you. It's getting late."

"Alright. Goodnight!"

"Goodnight Luna."


	2. Equal Opportunity

**Author`s Note**: OK before we launch into this one, I wanted to clear a couple things up and say that for the purposes of my story, I see the ponies aging much like humans do. From young children to teenagers to adults and such, in years similar to humans. This may not really work canonically or IRL, but that`s how I`m working it for my story. OK Awesome.

**Dislaimer**: I don`t own the ponies. Hasbro does. I didn`t create the awesome characters, except for the ones necessary to fill in the world and make Celestia and Luna`s childhood world seem a little more full. All hail Lauren Faust, and such.

_Chapter 1- Equal Opportunity_

"I still don't see why I have to go," griped Luna.

The two sisters trotted alongside one another. The elder sighed and rolled her eyes. Luna did this every time. "Because you need to get out more is why. Besides, your books will be there when you get back."

Luna let out a short huff, and the feathers on her dark, purple-blue wings bristled. The wings were a recent addition to the filly's form. Her sister had been younger than Luna when her wings sprouted, and her horn had just grown, but Luna was still proud of her wings. Her sister was the only living alicorn in Equestria, however, which made living with Celestia nearly impossible. Even before the alicorn thing, living with her wasn't particularly easy.

Celestia was... different from Luna. The younger sister was quiet and reserved. She wasn't quite shy, but she was certainly introverted. She was independent and socially awkward. For the most part, Luna kept to herself, and her best friends were her studies and her books. She didn't have time for frivolities.

Celestia thrived on frivolities. She was friends with most of Canterlot, and spoke with animated exuberance. She was naturally talented at most things, such as athletics and certainly academics. Everything she did was accomplished with ease. She liked to laugh and did most things for the fun of it. Simply because she could.

"It's just the Vernal Equinox."

Parallel tracks formed in the dirt as Celestia dug her hooves into the ground and skidded to a stop. "Whoa." Luna followed suit and stopped in a similar fashion. She trotted around to face her sister, who was giving her a look. "Just the Vernal Equinox?" Luna nodded apprehensively. "_Just_ the Vernal Equinox? OK, Luna, I get that you live under a rock, but you've been to this before. The seasons change four times a year. It's... kind of a big deal. The unicorns are finishing the transition from winter to spring, we get to see the last patch pf snow melted and then, exactly twelve hours since the rising of the sun, we see it set and the moon rise. Not to mention all the games and snacks and fun."

Luna cocked an eyebrow. "And?

Celestia sighed. Her sister could be really naive sometimes. Whereas a reaction like that coming from Celestia would be snarky, coming from Luna it just seemed innocent. "Look. Sis. It wouldn't kill you to get out and socialize a little bit."

"OK. Fine. I'll come. For you. But as soon as that moon comes up, I'm going back home. I have some serious studying to do."

Well, it was better than nothing. They did this every time. Every time Celestia had to drag Luna along, and every time she wound up having fun in spite of herself, though she would deny it the next day and dive right back into her books. Celestia's goal was to wear down Luna's resolve and get her to enjoy herself voluntarily. They had a long way to go, but it was certainly a start.

Once again, Celestia took off, this time at a canter, and Luna followed. "You'll have fun. Just try to enjoy yourself and pout a little less." They made the rest of their trip in silence. Luna was entering the poutier years of her life, and Celestia was beginning to leave hers. She was just one or two steps ahead of her sister, but she had enough experience to walk her through the tougher times. The pouty times required tough love.

They arrived in the town square at the height of the festivities. Luna slicked her ears back, slightly taken aback by all the noise and colour and commotion. Celestia was right in her element here, saying hi to everypony, smiling, laughing and enjoying herself. They stopped and Celestia chattered away to a blue pegasus and a yellow earth pony. "...and I finally got her away from her books, but that wasn't the end of my battle. The point is, she's here now. So, Light Dancer, Thunder Crash, meet my sister Luna!"

Hearing her name, Luna's ears perked back up and she gazed warily at the two ponies grinning at her. She forced a smile and gave a small "Hello." This seemed to satisfy her sister who began talking again at breakneck speeds. Luna had no interest in hearing her sister blather on about one thing or another. Social pleasantries sure got tedious. All around her poinies were chatting about this and that, holding conversations that had no real meaning. There were games and there was food to make the whole celebration more inviting. Luna wasn't very good at games, but the food certainly looked good.

"I'm getting a snack," she informed her sister before trotting off, not waiting for a reply. She was old enough to handle herself and she didn't need her sister holding her hoof the whole night. There were a few fillies and colts Luna recognized from school, but she had no real interest in talking to any of them. They had their own reasons for being there tonight, and Luna knew she wasn't one of them. She stood alone at a snack table, chewing some grass and sipping some punch. It was tasty, to be sure, but the night wasn't living up to what her sister had made it out to be.

Luna wanted to know what all the fuss was about. So the day was as long as the night. So spring was starting. So what? That was simply part of the natural cycle of Equestria. Some ponies took any excuse to engage in frivolities such as this. And yet... she longed to know why. She wanted to just enjoy herself like her sister did and told her to do. It was just a difficult concept to wrap her head around.

"Hey you!" Celestia appeared seemingly out of nowhere. "It's starting. Sun goes down, moon goes up, you go back to the books. Ready?"

King Kosmus stood before the crowd, looking proud and regal. The music that had danced through the air died down as he stepped up onto a raised platform. He smiled at his people and, booming out from the platform, he spoke. "Fillies and gentlecolts of Canterlot! Today is the day we say goodbye to winter, goodbye to the cold, and hello to the springtime. We can once again grow and flourish amongst the plants and the flowers until next winter. And now, I would like you all to sit back and enjoy the sunset that shall bring with it our cold and unforgiving winter. To spring!``

The crowd cheered and Luna clapped politely along with them. It was almost study time once again, and while she was excited to get back to the books a part of her wanted the night to last a little bit longer, if only so she could maybe figure out what all the fuss was about.

As the applause died down, King Kosmus bent his front legs and bowed his head. His horn glowed and the sun sunk into the horizon. The horn continued glowing as he lifted his head and straightened his legs. As he rose, so did the moon.

Luna stared, captivated by the shimmering silver orb that now hung in the sky. Around her, thunderous applause broke out once again, but this time she did not participate. Instaed she just stared, mesmerized by the moon. Music began playing again as the ponies began their festivities once again, but all the noise just sounded fuzzy in Luna`s ears.

She was in love.

"Oh, wasn`t daddy just great?" squealed Celestia. Luna nodded dazedly in response. Celestia's eye twinkled at her sister's reaction to the spectacle. "Makes ya wonder why we don't watch it more often, hey? So, home time? Study time? We should probably head out now so we don't cut too far into your study time."

"Uh, we can probably stay a few more minutes." Luna's gaze still hadn't left the moon. "My books will be there when I get back.

* * *

><p>"Yeah, that was good, but it's nothing like the Summer Sun Celebration."<p>

It was getting on to midnight, and Luna was getting tired. It was time to head back home, but Celestia was chattering the whole way back. Luna was only half listening.

"I donno, I think I prefer the longest night of the year. The stars are so... so..." Her praise for the night was interrupted by a yawn. Luna's steps were beginning to slow, and she fell behind her sister.

Celestia slowed down. "Hey sis? How about you climb up on my back and I'll carry you back home."

Luna smiled. "That would be nice."

The rest of the trip was made in serene silence as Luna dozed on her sister's back. When they arrived home, Celestia set her sister down as softly as she could and crept towards the door.

"Hey sis?"

Celestia paused as a small voice called out for her. "Yes, Luna?"

"Could you just... stay here. For a few more minutes."

Sighing gently, Celestia walked back over to where her sister lay. "Of course I can." She lay down next to her sister and rested one of her wings over her Luna. The two girls dozed off as they cuddled. Celestia considered the night a success, and she cherished that moment because she knew that as soon as the sun rose, they would be at each other's throats once more.


End file.
